Winter Storm Thor: Snow in Midwest, South, East, West; Icy Mess In South (FORECAST)

Linda Lam
Published: March 2,2015



 

There will be no break in the parade of winter storms this first week of March as Winter Storm Thor follows Sparta's wintry mess.

Winter Alerts

Current Radar

Thor will have three distinct phases: 1) Rockies, Desert Southwest; 2) Midwest to Northeast; 3) Southern Plains/Deep South to the Northeast. As a result, we won't be fully rid of Thor until later Thursday once the arctic front shoves the remaining snow off the East Coast.
Blizzard warnings have been posted in the prairies of western and southern Minnesota, as well as parts of the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado. Blizzard watches extend westward into central South Dakota.
Meanwhile, winter storm watches have been hoisted in parts of the South, ahead of Thor's third phase beginning Wednesday.
Thor brought rain in the lower elevations and snow in the mountains of the West, including California this past weekend. Thunderstorms even coated parts of the Bay Area with hail.
(MORE: Warmest Winter On Record)
Persistent snow will be wrung out over the southern Rockies, including the San Juans and Sangre de Cristos of Colorado and New Mexico, the Mogollon Rim of Arizona and canyonlands of southern Utah. The mountains of southwest Colorado may end up with snow totals of up to 4 feet by the time the storm is finished there on Tuesday.
After impacting the West, snow and ice will then spread eastward across the Plains, Midwest, South and East through midweek. The daily forecast details from coast-to-coast are below.

Monday

The West will continue to see snow in the mountains, with rain in the lower elevations. However, even some higher elevations will see a mix of rain and snow.
(FORECASTS: Salt Lake City | Flagstaff | Aspen)
The highest snowfall accumulations will likely be in the mountains of Colorado and Utah, as well as in far northern Arizona, far northern New Mexico and southern Wyoming.
To the north, an arctic front will plunge into Montana and Idaho bringing mainly light snow with gusty winds.
Rain may be locally heavy in parts of the Southwest and flood watches are in effect for portions of southern California and Arizona into Monday afternoon, including the Phoenix area.

Tuesday - Tuesday night

Tuesday's Forecast

Winter Storm Thor will interact with energy from the northern branch of the jet stream, producing a widespread swath of snow and ice as phase 2 of the storm kicks in.
(FORECASTS: Minneapolis | Chicago | Pittsburgh |
Washington, DC)
Thor is expected to be warmer than this past weekend's storm, but sufficiently cold conditions will still be in place in the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, Upstate New York and northern New England, where the greatest chance for moderate snowfall accumulations will be found.
Cold air will likely linger initially in parts of the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic, allowing the precipitation to start as freezing rain, sleet or a mix of rain and snow as shown in the map below.
Tuesday night, snow changing to sleet, freezing rain, or rain will push through the I-95 corridor of the Northeast. Meanwhile, snow, sleet and freezing rain. In the interior Northeast, snow, sleet or freezing rain will persist a bit longer into the overnight hours.
Rain, perhaps even a rumble of thunder, is possible Tuesday night from the Ohio Valley into the Mid-South region.

Wednesday - Thursday

Wednesday's Forecast

Thursday Forecast

Snowfall Forecast

That's not all, folks. The arctic front will bleed only slowly to the south and east. At the same time, an active jet stream and moisture will intercept this sagging front.
As our forecast map for Wednesday shows, a change to snow, sleet or freezing rain could occur in a swath from the Mid-Atlantic states westward to the Ohio Valley, Tennessee Valley, Lower Mississippi Valley and the Southern Plains.
(FORECASTS:  Nashville | Little Rock | Dallas)
Thursday, this wintry band marches into the East. Lingering freezing drizzle or sleet is possible early in the day in parts of the Deep South and Southeast. A band of sleet and freezing rain is possible from the Piedmont of the Carolinas to southern Virginia.
(FORECASTS: Birmingham | Richmond)
Meanwhile, accumulating snow is possible Thursday from the Appalachians northward up the I-95 urban corridor, making for a potentially tricky pair of commutes from Boston to Washington, D.C.
(FORECASTS: Washington | Philly | NYC | Boston)
Snowfall and ice accumulations are still subject to change as we're still 2 days out from this final phase of Thor. However, here's a general outlook as we see it right now:

• Heaviest snow potential: 6 inches of snow or more is possible from the Mid-South region to parts of Kentucky, Tennessee and the Appalachians.
• Accumulating snow into parts of Oklahoma, northern (perhaps parts of central) Texas, as well.
• Ice potential: Some accumulations likely from north, perhaps central Texas to parts of Arkansas, northern Louisiana, Mississippi, northern Alabama, Tennessee into southern Virginia and northern North Carolina. It remains unclear how much of this falls as sleet vs. freezing rain.
• Impacts: Roads may become impassable in these areas Wednesday into at least Wednesday night. Lingering icy roads possible into Thursday. Power outages and downed tree limbs are possible in areas where freezing rain is most persistent (rather than changeover to sleet). 

The forecast will continue to be updated over the next few days so check back with us at weather.com and The Weather Channel.
(MAPS: Weekly Planner)

Recap So Far: Winter Storm Thor

Here are some select snow totals from Winter Storm Thor as of Monday morning:
California:
- 32 inches snow at Squaw Valley
- 24 inches snow at Sugar Bowl Ski Resort
- 13 inches snow at Donner Peak
- Hail was reported in Grass Valley (0.5"), San Jose (0.25"), and Fresno (0.25")
Nevada:
- 24 inches snow at Diamond Peak Ski Resort
- 16 inches snow at Mount Rose Ski Area
- 7.5 inches snow at Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort at 9200 feet elevation

Arizona:

- 12 inches snow near Parks
- 11 inches at the Arizona Snowbowl
- 8.6 inches snow in Flagstaff
New Mexico:
- 21 inches snow at Taos Ski Area (partially snow from Winter Storm Sparta)
- 14 inches snow near Gallina
- 9.6 inches snow in Albuquerque (partially snow from Winter Storm Sparta)

Colorado:
- 42 inches snow near Wolf Creek Pass (partially snow from Winter Storm Sparta)
- 11 inches snow at Red Mountain Pass
- 11 inches snow at Molas Pass
Utah:
- 8.4 inches snow at Camp Jackson
- 7.2 inches at Buckboard Flat
- 7 inches snow in Blanding
MORE: Winter Storm Thor (Photos)